Sight-feed.



L. M. FULLER.

SIGHT FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1909.

Patented Nov. 8; 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR Altarney WITNESSES L. M. FULLER.

SIGHT FEED.

. 'APPLIOAT'IQN FILED JULY 31, 1909 Patented NOV. 8, 1910.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I INVENTOR Z7 7%, 2944A WITNESSES TE STATES TENT FFICE.

LAWSON MAYO FULLER, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 VELIE MOTOR VEHICLECOMPANY, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SIGHT-FEED.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWSON M. FULLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sight-Feeds; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to devices designed to expose to view a portion ofa fluid or oil conduit to enable a view to be had of the liquid flowingtherethrough. 'Such devices are generally termed sight-feeds.

To secure proper lubrication of a motor and to know with certainty thatsuch lubrication is being secured, it is necessary to flow in sight, oilfrom the oil box of the motor. This shows that the oil pump is workingproperly and that a supply of oil is on hand.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved device for securingthis result, as will be described with reference to the accom an indrawin s and more articularly P a z:

pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a section taken axially throughan embodiment of the invention, the plane of section being indicated bythe line l-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front view of the body of the devicetaken from the viewpoint indicated in Fig. 1, the cover having beenremoved. Fig. 3 is a front view, the cover being in place on the bodyand a portion of the cover bein broken away. Fig. 4 is a section on thel1ne t4: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the device.

A indicates the body of the sight-feed; and in the illustratedembodiment of the device, this part is circular in cross-section and isformed with a base flange and with an exteriorly screw-threaded top. Thebody A is provided with an arc-shaped groove a that opens through thetop of the body but terminates short of its base. The groove a forms achannel which extends partly around a central core a that upstands fromthe base of the device, and is formed with a lateral extension apreferably an integral connection joining the core and outer wall of thebody, against which the opposite ends of the channel a terminate. Thecore a is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 31, 1909.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Serial No. 510,632.

adapted to form a spreader for oil flowing thereover; and although itssurface may be flat, it is preferably formed with a conical depression,as shown.

An inlet duct or aperture 6& extending throughout the depth of the bodyA is formed through the lateral extension (1 and an outlet aperture 0*,extending through the base of the body A communicates with thearc-shaped channel a. The inlet and outlet apertures at their base areadapted for connection to inlet and outlet pipes as shown.

B denotes a cover having interior screwthreads engaging those of thebody A, and

formed at its opposite end with a dished rim defining a sight-opening.Between the dished rim and its screw-threaded portion, the cover isformed with an intermediate cylindrical bore of greater diameter thanthe sight opening, the rim defining which therefore forms a flange atthe outside of said bore. The latter is adapted to receive a transparentplate C which may be kept a desired distance away from the spreader a bymeans of a gasket D, interposed between that portion of the body Aforming the outer wall of the channel a and the plate C.

As a convenient means for exhibiting a name in connection with thedevice, a ring E having the desired indicia can be inserted between theflange of the cover defining the sight opening and the glass plate,exhibiting the indicia within said opening; and the indicia ring may beof a diameter as shown, which will conceal the channel a. WVhen thedevice is assembled with the cover in place, the flange forming thesight opening will overlie the name-ring, which with the glass plate andgasket will be thus held in position between the cover and the body A.The outer edge of the cover 13 may be milled as shown.

In the use of the sight-feed it is connected in a lubricating system,which in general includes a pump for forcing the oil throughout thesystem, so that the oil will enter through the aperture 64 The oil thusentering, is forced against the glass plate C between which and theopposed conically dished surface of the core or spreader a the oil isspread out into a film that flows across the spreader. Gaskets D,differing in thickness, may be used to vary the thickness of the film ofoil. WVhen the gasket is of such thickness that the glass plate is nottoo near the spreader, the flow of oil assumes the appearance of astream having the shape of an hour-glass; and if a thinner gasket beused the stream of oil flowing between the glass and spreader has theappearance of a darken'ed disk in the center of a light plate.

The conical depression of the surface of the spreader (6 among its otheradvantages, directs the oil from the inlet aperture a toward the centerof the spreader.

Owing to the very prominent form which the film of oil is caused toassume under the sight opening, any failure of the oil pump to workproperly will be plainly evidenced;

it therefore provides a most positive telltale for proper or improperlubrication.

Although the-shape of the illustrated embodiment of the invention isespecially adapted for use on an automobile, it is understood that theinvention is applicable to various lubricating systems.

I reserve the right to such modifications as fall within the spirit andscope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a body having an inletduct and a channel formed with an outlet opening through which saidchannel discharges said body having a dished surface bounded by saidchannel, a cover having a sight-opening and adapted for attachment tothe body, and a transparent plate mounted in said cover to confront saiddished surface and disposed at a desired distance therefrom to form aspace for the passage of fluid, the transparent plate and dished surfacecausing the column of oil to spread in its passage under said plate, andthe fluid passing over the edge of said dished surface into saidchannel.

2. A device of the character described comprising a body having an inletduct and a circular channel in communication with an outlet port, theportion of the body surrounded by the circular channel having aconically dished surface, a cover having a sight opening and adapted forattachment to the body, a glass plate mounted in the cover andconfronting the conically dished surface, a gasket interposed betweenthe glass plate and body to space the former away from said conicallydished surface to provide space for the passage of oil thereover saidgasket being of any desired thickness the fluid space between the glassplate and conically dished surface being deter mined by the thickness ofthe gasket whereby the form of the column of oil flowing under the glassplate is changed when gaskets of difl'erent thicknesses are substitutedone for the other.

3. A device of the character described comprising a body having a baseflange and a screw-threaded top and formed with an arc-shaped channelpartly surrounding a central core, the latter having an extensionjoining it with that portion of the body forming the outer wall of saidchannel, an inlet duct being located in said extension and extendingthroughout its depth from base to top, and an outlet opening beingformed through the base and communicating with the arc-shaped channel, acover having screw-threads to engage those of the body and having also asight opening, a glass plate mounted in the cover and retained thereinby the flange of the cover defining the sight opening, and a gasketinterposed between the glass plate and the outer wall of the arc-shapedchannel.

4:. A device of the character described comprising a body portion havingan inlet duct and a channel formed with an outlet opening and havingalso a surface bounded by said channel over which surface the oilspreads in its passage from the inlet to the outlet opening, a coveradapted for attachment to the body and formed with a sightopeningdefined by a flange, a transparent plate mounted in said cover toconfront said surface over which the oil spreads, and a ring mounted insaid cover and having a portion of its surface exposed to view in saidsight opening, said ring concealing from view the channel bounding saidspreading surface.

In testimony whereof I aiflx my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LAWSON MAYO FULLER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. S. DAHLQUIST, CHAS. B. Rose.

